Seven shipwrecked cruise ships. Sunken ships - how many of them are at the bottom of the seas and oceans? What secrets did they take with them?

Exactly 6 years ago, confirming the infamy of Friday the 13th, a huge cruise liner Costa Concordia (Costa Concordia), carrying more than 4,200 people, crashed near the island of Giglio off the coast of Tuscany in Italy.

The name of the ship in literal translation means the coast of peace (consent, harmony). Costa Concordia was the largest ship in the Costa Crociere company, and in 2006 was in 10th place in the Top 10 largest cruise ships in the world.

The cruise liner Costa Concordia was built at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri in Sestri Ponente (a suburb of Genoa) in 2006 by order of Costa Crociere. At that time, in the world rankings, it was the 10th largest passenger ship and the largest for Costa. "Costa Concordia" became the lead ship in a series of six units.

Initially, Costa, founded by entrepreneur Giacomo Costa back in 1854, was Italian, but in 1997 it became international, and in 2000 it was acquired by the American cruise consortium Carnival. However, the company's ships continued to sail under the Italian flag, and their command staff was still predominantly Italian.

The contract for the construction of the ship was signed on January 19, 2002. The contract value was 450 million euros. Launching took place on September 2, 2005, the acceptance certificate was signed on June 30, 2006. At the Costa Concordia's christening ceremony seven days later, Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova acted as godmother. It is symbolic that the bottle of champagne thrown on board by the Czech diva did not break, which was considered a bad omen..

Costa Concordia had 13 decks; maximum length the vessel was 290.2 m, beam - 35.5 m, draft - 8.2 m, gross tonnage - 114,147 gross tonnage. Combined diesel-electric power point included 6 diesel generators with a total capacity of 102,780 hp. and two electric motors with a capacity of 21 MW each. Max speed was equal to 23 knots, operational - 19.6 knots.

One and a half thousand comfortable cabins of different classes (from 16.7 to 44.8 sq.m) could accommodate 3,780 passengers. All cabins were equipped with TV, telephone, air conditioning, private bathroom and toilet. In addition, there were 14 elevators, 4 swimming pools, 5 restaurants, 13 bars, a theater, a two-level fitness center, a casino, a Formula 1 simulator. The ship's own crew consisted of 1100 people.

The Costa Concordia set off on its maiden voyage on July 14, 2006 and operated for several years on cruise lines in the Western Mediterranean. On the evening of January 13, 2012, the ship left the port of Civitavecchia and headed for Savona. It was an ordinary cruise "7 nights of winter mediterranean sea". At about 21:30 in the area of ​​Giglio Island, when most of the passengers were having dinner in a restaurant, the liner hits a stone reef with its left side and gets an underwater hole 53 m long (from the 52nd frame to the 125th). Five compartments, from the third to the eighth, quickly fill with water, the main engines stop. "Costa Concordia" manages to pass by inertia a little more than a kilometer and turns her nose to the harbor of Giglio. Then, under the influence of the wind, she drifts and at about 10 pm she runs aground in the immediate vicinity of the coast. The vessel, designed to maintain buoyancy only when two compartments are flooded, begins to sink with a roll to starboard.

The crash of the liner seemed inexplicable. General bewilderment can be understood: "Costa Concordia" walked past the island of Giglio once a week, that is, 52 times a year, and how did she manage to run into a stone reef? Why did the liner deviate from its course by 3-4 miles?

Subsequently, the captain of the cruise ship, Francesco Schettino, admitted that he decided to bring the ship closer to the island of Giglio and greet the person who lived there. former captain"Costa Concordia", his good friend. He had already done this several times on previous flights, but on that ill-fated Friday he hesitated with the turn, and the liner ripped the board against the stones. The court recognized this version as the most likely, although Schettino later changed his testimony. In particular, he claimed that he was forced to change course by the manager of the Carnival company, but this statement was not supported by the facts.

At the time of the disaster, there were 3,216 passengers from 62 countries and 1,023 crew members on board. Among the passengers were 108 Russians, 45 citizens of Ukraine, 7 citizens of Moldova, 3 - Kazakhstan and 3 - Belarus. In addition, three of our compatriots were members of the liner's crew.

The rescue operation was badly organized. Instead of immediately starting the evacuation of passengers, the captain of the liner was silent for 15 minutes, and then announced to the passengers that the ship had only minor problems with the generator. And only almost an hour after the accident, when the ship listed 30 degrees, an emergency alarm sounded. The landing of people in the boats was accompanied by panic and stampede. Only the proximity of the coast made it possible to avoid a huge number of victims.

Captain Schettino, according to investigators, was one of the first to leave the ship without sending a distress signal. The Coast Guard found out about the crash of the liner belatedly and joined the evacuation of people only late at night. The active phase of the rescue operation continued until morning. Some passengers were transported ashore by helicopters.

Passengers who ended up on the island of Giglio were accommodated in a local church, school and other premises where there was at least a little free space. locals how could they help wrecked brought them food, blankets, warm clothes. Meanwhile, rescuers did not stop working, trying to find people inside the ship, including in the underwater part in the resulting air bags. Their efforts were not unsuccessful: on January 14-15, two newlyweds from South Korea and one Italian - a member of the crew of the liner.

The victims of the disaster were 32 people. The search for bodies continued for a long time - the remains of the most recent missing were discovered only in November 2013. On February 1, 2014, another person was added to the mournful list - a diver died in an accident during work to raise the ship.

The Costa Concordia remained at the wreck for two years and became a tourist attraction. A stream of tourists rushed to the island of Giglio. In the nearby town of San Stefano, located on the mainland, tour operators did business selling tickets for excursions to the site of the tragedy. However, the inhabitants of the island were not pleased with the ship's hull, which became a grave. In addition, they feared that fuel and sewage would begin to flow out of the liner. Therefore, they threatened the Costa Crociere company with a lawsuit if the half-sunk ship was not removed in a timely manner.

On board the sunken liner were about six thousand works of art. The most valuable of them is a rare collection of Japanese engravings of the 18th-19th centuries, in particular, the work of Katsushika Hokusai. The Costa Concordia also had 19th-century Bohemian glass, antiques, jewelry from the ship's jewelry stores, valuables and money left by passengers in the cabins. Therefore, the forces of the Coast Guard and the Carabinieri guarded the ship from the encroachments of marauders. However, the Italian media reported back in March 2012 that the ship's bell was stolen.

Pumping out of 2300 tons of fuel, oil and sewage was completed on March 24, 2012. A month later, it was announced that the American company Titan Salvage had won the tender for the lifting and evacuation of the vessel. Initially, the operation was expected to take seven to ten months. In fact, it turned out much more, since a large amount of preparatory work was required. An underwater platform was built under the bottom of the ship, special counterweight pontoons were mounted on the port side, which, after filling with water, were supposed to put the liner on even keel.

The 19-hour operation to straighten and lift the liner was carried out on September 16-17, 2013. The ship was set on an even keel with the help of 36 steel cables and counterweight pontoons. Then a platform with similar pontoons was brought to the starboard side. After draining all the pontoons, the skeleton of the Costa Concordia floated to the surface.

It is believed that the work performed has become the most expensive in the history of rescue operations. Their cost was about 250 million euros.

The Costa Concordia remained off the island of Giglio for another 10 months, and only at the end of July 2014 was it towed for disposal to the shipyard in Sestri Ponente, where the ship was built 8 years ago. It was assumed that the work on cutting the hull into metal would take 22 months and end in the spring of 2016.

The main and, in fact, the only culprit of the disaster, the court recognized the captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino. He was accused of negligence, inadvertently killing 32 people, and leaving his ship before all passengers were evacuated. However, Schettino denied many of the charges brought against him, showing miracles of resourcefulness. In particular, he argued that it was not he who was to blame for the deaths, but the unsatisfactory security system of the liner. He tried to shift the blame for the collision with the reef to the Filipino helmsman, who, allegedly due to poor knowledge of the language, carried out the commands too slowly ... He explained his flight at the very beginning of the evacuation in court as follows: “I didn’t even have a life jacket, because I gave it to one of the passengers. I tried to get the vest out of the lifeboat where they usually lie. The ship suddenly lists somewhere at 60-70 degrees. I stumbled and hit one of the lifeboats. That's why I was there."

Tests for alcohol and drugs gave a negative result, but Schettino, according to people who knew him, even when sober was distinguished by indiscipline and recklessness unusual for his age (51). One of his colleagues said: “He would even drive a bus like a Ferrari!

On February 12, 2015, the Grosseto City Court found Schettino guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.

The total damage from the death of the Costa Concordia for the ship-owning company amounted to approximately 1.5 billion euros. And this, of course, without taking into account reputational losses.

In March 2016, researchers from Northern Ireland and Belgium shared their discovery with the world: it turns out that by analyzing satellite images, you can find places ancient shipwrecks. Even a nondescript boat lying under water is shrouded in many secrets and legends, and therefore enchants and attracts attention, which it did not receive "in life".

Every diver dreams of swimming among the wrecks of sunken ships. There is even a separate direction - wreck diving (from the English wreck - "shipwreck"). While scientists are analyzing images from space and trying to determine new locations of sunken ships (and there are no less than 3 million of them), we will tell you about the places and ships that you can go to explore right now - from tourist attractions to dives requiring lengthy preparation.

Schooner “Sweeptakes”

Lake Ontario, Canada

You can see the outlines of this schooner without even plunging into the water. Built in 1867 in Burlington to carry coal, she lasted less than 20 years and was wrecked in a storm. The Sweepstakes ship, which could not be repaired, was later towed into the bay, where it sank under water. Now it lies at a depth of only 7 meters from the surface of the transparent Lake Ontario in Canada and is the main attraction of the Fathom Five National Marine Park. You can take a closer look at the schooner for both beginner divers and those who are fond of snorkeling. Such dives are regulated by the schedule, since there are also a lot of people who want to look at the ship through the transparent bottom of tourist boats.

Schooner “Sweepstakes”

But to study interior spaces and swim between the wreckage will not work. The 36-metre-long vessel is supported from the inside with metal cables and surrounded by a wire fence to prevent destruction, which is happening faster and faster underwater. Despite this, today Sweepstakes is considered one of the best preserved schooners of the 19th century.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Toronto, then by bus to the city of Tobermony, from where expeditions and cruises start.

Ferry Zenobia

Larnaca city, Cyprus

Travel agents offer every tourist vacationing in Cyprus to go on a boat trip with the opportunity to look at the Swedish ferry Zenobia that sank in 1980. The boat makes a stop near the crash site, where everyone can swim in a mask and fins. However, you can even see the outlines of the ship from the plane, flying up to Larnaca.

The 172-meter cargo ferry never completed its maiden voyage from Sweden to Syria: near Cyprus, it began listing to port and eventually sank to the bottom. According to one version, this happened due to a malfunction of on-board computers. However, oddly enough, some people agree that the ferry was deliberately flooded in order to get insurance.

The ship sank along with all of its £200 million worth of cargo, which remained largely intact. And it is not surprising that for a couple of decades, people who want to explore the interior of the ship and trucks scattered along the bottom have been coming here, among which there is even a blue Lada.

And if it is impossible to get into the engine room or dive to the port side, lying at a depth of 42 meters, without serious preparation, then even beginners with minimal diving experience can get to the starboard side. All you need to do is descend to a depth of 18 meters. Yes, in diver's parlance it really is "only". Those who are not going to dive can go to the Zenobia on a tourist submarine with portholes. The cost is from 70 euros for a boat trip to 250 for special wreck dives.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Larnaca. Cruises to the ship are also organized from Limassol.

On this topic:

Passenger steamer “Baron Gautsch”

City of Rovinj, Croatia

Built as a passenger ship, this ship was used during the First World War to carry ammunition and transport refugees. Tragedy struck in 1914 when the Baron Gouch hit a mine. Of the 336 passengers, less than half were saved, and the bodies of the dead are found even 100 years after the disaster. Now the crash site has the status of a military burial, and therefore it is forbidden to dive to it on your own. Only a few dive clubs have a license for this.

The ship rests in a vertical position at a depth of 40 meters near the coast of the Croatian city of Rovinj. The cost of the dive will be 45 euros if there are 40 dives in the logbook.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to the city of Pula, then by bus to the city of Rovinj.

Underwater graveyard of the Japanese Navy

Chuuk Islands (another name for Truk), Micronesia

See the world's largest underwater cemetery military equipment possible in Micronesia. Until 1944, there were Japanese military bases in the area of ​​the Truk Islands, which were completely destroyed by American bombers during World War II. And now at the bottom of the lagoon you can see the diversity of the fleet of the Country rising sun: tankers, cruisers, submarines, destroyers.

The ability to dive is greatly simplified due to the fact that the ships rest in shallow water, so that a diver without serious experience can go to explore the wreck. Or even see entire ships - some of them are completely preserved.

In total, at a depth of 9 meters, you can see the nose of one of the most big ships. It is better to do this in winter and spring, the rest of the time rains and high waves make diving somewhat difficult. Prices start at $3,195 for a week-long lagoon cruise.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow via Honolulu to Guam, from there by plane to the Chuuk Islands. Cruises start from the city of Veno.

Passenger-cargo ship "Yongala"

City of Ayr, Australia

Go wreck diving, and at the same time see the most famous marine park peace is possible in the Australian state of Queensland. In 1911, not far from the city of Ayr, during the transition from Melbourne to Cairns, it got into a strong storm and as a result, the 110-meter Australian ship Yongala was wrecked. None of the 122 passengers survived. Now the ship rests at a depth of 30 meters (some sections at a depth of 16 meters) and is one of the largest wrecks of historical ships. The vessel is listed on the Queensland Register of Historic Values, which means that it is not possible to visit its interior.

However, this does not stop divers from all over the world. The hull of the ship lying near the UNESCO-protected Bolshoy barrier reef, overgrown with corals and became a haven for various marine life. Here you can admire groupers and rays, octopuses, turtles, barracudas and giant Australian trevally. The cost of such an adventure starts at $ 160 for a one-day trip with two dives.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow with a change in Sydney to Townsville, then by bus to Ayr.

Frigate 365 (aka “Captain Keith Tibbetts”)

Cayman Islands, UK

The history of sunken ships is far from always associated with disasters and the death of passengers. At the bottom of the seas and oceans, there are many ships sunk on purpose to create artificial reefs or for the sake of experiments. One of these is the military frigate 365. This ship was built in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and after the collapse of the USSR, it was transferred to the Cuban Navy. The ship turned out to be useless and 10 years later it was purchased by the government of the Cayman Islands and sunk in order to find out the weaknesses of the ships during the crash.

Today, the frigate, split into two parts, lies on the sandy bottom of the Caribbean Sea at a depth of 27 meters. The high aluminum content of the body will help it to remain a favorite object for wreck diving for a long time - because of this, it rusts very slowly. And the attractive price of $ 65 for one dive (though not including equipment) also does not leave divers indifferent.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Miami, then by plane to Cayman Brac, from where dive cruises are organized.

Bulk carrier “SS Thistlegorm”

Red Sea, Egypt

Wreck diving can become an alternative to the traditional, "seal" vacation on Egyptian beaches. Moreover, the bottom of the Red Sea is littered with ships that sank in a storm, strong wind, encountered dangerous currents or stumbled upon reefs. And transparency and comfortable temperature water all year round adds points in favor of diving.

Perhaps the most attractive ship for divers is the British military bulk carrier Thistlegorm. Built in 1940, it was sunk by German aircraft in the Suez Canal a year later. All provisions for the British Army, which was transported by the ship - firearms, motorcycles, jeeps, soldier's ammunition, went to the bottom and is still in the holds of the ship. According to Egyptian law, it is strictly forbidden to raise these artifacts from the bottom of the sea. A dive on the Thistlegorm will cost $80.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Sharm El Sheikh. Excursions with dives are also organized from Hurghada.

Cruise ship "Andrea Doria"

State of Massachusetts, USA

The story of the ship Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956 after a collision with the Stockholm liner, is considered one of the most successful rescue operations. Of the 1,076 passengers on board, only those who were injured in the collision - 46 people - were killed.

Not only is diving on a ship not a cheap pleasure (about $ 3,500), but the presence required amount does not guarantee you a pass on this steamer at all. And not every professional diver dares to dive on a ship, given all the circumstances: a depth of 75 meters, water temperature within 6 degrees and strong ocean currents. An additional complication is that it is possible to get to the ship only for a limited period of time - during the summer months.

However, this does not stop true lovers of swimming among the wreckage - the first divers went to explore the liner the very next day after the disaster. Since then, at least 17 professional divers have gone missing on the Doria: someone got tangled in the electrical wiring, others got lost in the labyrinths of the ship.

Experienced divers admit that the magic of the "Everest of Shipwrecks", as the "Andrea Doria" used to be called, has disappeared. If 30 years ago it was still possible to dive between decks and find porcelain dishes in luxury cabins, then every year the ship is destroyed and loses its integrity. If that doesn't stop you, you can contact one of the private companies that organize ship expeditions.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Boston, from there as part of an organized expedition.

Steamboat "Lenin"

Balaklava city, Russia

You can see the sunken ships without applying for a visa. Over the past few years, Crimean divers have discovered an underwater cemetery at the bottom of the Black Sea near Balaklava, where wooden sailboats, submarines, an ancient galley and other vessels rest at different depths. Among them, the Lenin steamer stands out with the bloodiest history. The tragic ship was even dubbed the Black Sea "Titanic" by the number of human lives taken to the bottom.

Built in Danzig in 1909 as a passenger-and-freight ship, the ship performed its functions until the outbreak of World War II. In July 1941, as part of a convoy, he left Sevastopol for Yalta, but in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bCape Sarych, the Lenin was blown up by his own, Soviet, mines and sank a few minutes later. Boats from other ships rescued about six hundred people, but the exact number of dead is unknown - according to some estimates, the number of victims reaches 2000.

Shortly after the disaster, the Military Tribunal of the Black Sea Fleet sentenced the pilot "Lenin" Lieutenant I. I. Svistun to capital punishment - execution. In the 90s, when the materials of the case of the ship's sinking were declassified, he was rehabilitated posthumously.

Today, divers from all over the world are ready to go to explore the sunken ship, but only a few will dare to do so. Not only does the ship lie at a depth of 94 meters and diving requires serious physical preparation, but the water here warms up to a maximum of 8 degrees. But those who dare not remain indifferent: on a ship almost 95 meters long, you can get into almost all rooms, and through a hole in the port side you can get into the engine room. Such a dive can only be carried out through technical diving offices.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to Sevastopol, then by bus to Balaklava.

Passenger steamer "Titanic"

Newfindland Island, Canada

No matter how incredible it may sound, it is also possible to swim among the wreckage of the legendary Titanic. More than a hundred years have passed since, in 1912, after a collision with a drifting iceberg, the largest passenger steamer beginning of the 20th century. The disaster claimed the lives of more than one and a half thousand people, and now many historians speak out against diving to this ship, explaining their dissatisfaction with the plunder and garbage that accompany expeditions. Not to mention the disrespect for the memory of the dead - there were cases when people got married on the sunken Titanic.

All these ethical prohibitions do not bother those who want to touch the legend. Expeditions, lasting two weeks, take place every few years, and the company involved in organizing them charges almost 60 thousand dollars for their services.

Operates flights on the Titanic ship Keldysh. Previously, it was used for research purposes, and now it delivers tourists and scientists to the area of ​​​​the wreck of the liner.

The ship rests at an incredible depth of 3750 meters, so diving on it takes place at deep-sea vehicles"World". Up to three people can be inside the bathyscaphe, and one of them is the pilot. The rest of the space is filled with wires, connections and parts of video cameras. The entire dive takes about 12 hours, 7 of which divers spend at the bottom, and the remaining 5 are needed for descent and ascent. On examination, you can see that the stern is completely broken, the captain's bridge is destroyed, the ship itself is broken into two parts, and the remains of furniture, dishes, shoes and other personal belongings of passengers are scattered around. The organizers claim that during their expeditions since 1998, not a single artifact has been raised from the bottom of the ocean. Scientists say that the Titanic will not live to see its next 150th anniversary.

How to get there: by plane from Moscow to St. John's Airport (Newfoundland, Canada).

For many, such expressions as "shipwreck" or "wreck" are associated with treasures and pirates. Piracy is long gone, but sunken ships due to accidents are found every year.

We continue the theme of ships, in past issues we talked about the largest ship propellers, here will be discussed about sunk ships. According to the UN, more than three million ships lurk at the bottom of the oceans. Some of them drowned due to wars, others due to weather or accidents, and some were deliberately destroyed. We bring to your attention ten exciting stories of ten sunken ships.

In the waters of the Cayman Bras, 150 miles south of Cuba and 40 to 90 feet underwater, lies Frigate 356, a wreck that has split in two. Built by the Soviets in the early 1980s (final stage cold war) the ship was transferred to the Cuban fleet and was preparing to enter into operation after the collapse of the USSR. After 10 years, the warship was purchased by the Cayman government. Soon, in an unequal battle with nature (a strong storm), the ship was defeated and went under water. Photographer Mark Lightfoot explains: The vessel's "Achilles' heel" was its main component - aluminum - and was the cause of death.

Abu Galawa Shiweya is a reef in the Egyptian Red Sea with a turquoise "built-in" lagoon in its middle. The name of the place translates as "Little Father of Turquoise open sea.” There are many rumors and legends around the yacht that sank in this place.

Local guides it is believed to be the remains of an American sailboat that sank in 2002, but Rick Vercoe, a diving instructor, claims it is Endymion's shell, an Australian yacht that sank into its watery grave in 1998, apparently after a navigational error.

Sweepstakes, Tobermory, Ontario.

Twenty feet under water - clearly visible from the surface at Tobermory - lies at the bottom of the ship Sweepstakes, a 119-foot Canadian schooner that was used to transport coal. After 18 years of service, she was damaged near Bay Island and towed to Grand Harbour.

Russian Accident, South Egyptian Red Sea.

That ship was the Khanka, a Russian spy ship that sank in 1982. The Soviets began using commercial vessels and fishing trawlers to collect information from the 1950s and apparently placed surveillance on the nearby Ras Karma Military Air Base in Yemen. That's where the ship sank.

USS Utah, Pearl Harbor. The 521-foot-long vessel was originally a military vessel, but was later re-armed and refitted for training purposes. On the fateful day for the ship, nothing stopped the torpedo launched by the Japanese. The ship went under water within a few minutes.

Six officers and 52 sailors died in Utah that day, 54 are still buried in the rusty, half-flooded hulk. The public is not allowed access, and a memorial has been erected on Ford Island. It can be visited if you are accompanied by authorized military personnel.

P29, Malta was at the bottom of the ocean quite recently. The P29 was destroyed in September 2007 at Marfa Point in Malta. This is a maritime patrol vessel, 167 feet long. There is catastrophically little information about the history of the ship, but when diving at the accident site, various interesting places, including narrow passages through which it is possible to swim; the abundance of buttons, levers, templates and other tools are still objects of study.

USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor

The Commemorative Memorial was built on the sunken remains of the USS Arizona, a Pennsylvania-class battleship built in the first decade of the 20th century that met its tragic end at Pearl Harbor. When bombs fired from ten Japanese aircraft hit the 608-foot-long vessel, only debris was left behind, indicating the vessel's existence.

Giannis D. Egyptian Red Sea. The next wreck favorite place diving in the Egyptian Red Sea. Built in Japan in 1969, the Giannis D was originally named Shoyo Maru; it was sold in 1975. The 300-foot freighter was renamed Markos, a nickname that can still be made out on the ship's hull.

Tugboat Rozi, Malta Not much is known about this former tugboat except that it was destroyed in 1992 at the popular dive site Sirkevva in Malta. Many tourists are likely to visit the ship, which is completely intact except for the propellers and engine.

Prince Albert, Roatan, Honduras. Deliberately destroyed in 1987 by the owner of the Coco View Resort in Honduras, an island cargo ship famous for its owners' eventful past. It was used by the Nicaraguans to transport refugees fleeing their war-torn country.

The 140-foot tanker was stripped of life and left partially submerged.

Let's move on to the most famous sunken ship, which was discovered only recently. It took many years to find it - this is the Titanic

The bottom of the seas and oceans has always attracted scientists, historians and just adventurers. Research is associated with great risk, but there are not fewer applicants for understandable reasons. The ocean floor has not been fully explored, it holds many secrets. Scientists are attracted by the possibility of historical research, because coastline changed over the millennia. But most are attracted by sunken ships. Sea vessels have been drowning since the first man went to sea, and now, according to UN experts, there are more than three million of them.

All attempts to penetrate the secrets of sunken ships are associated with various goals. Scientists and historians are attracted by the archaeological heritage and the investigation into the cause of the disaster, because the ships sank for a variety of reasons. Many attempts to find ships at the bottom of the sea are associated with a banal search for the valuables that were transported on them. Such seekers are especially interested in the times of pirate attacks and various military operations. It was then that gold, silver, ceramics and other valuables fell to the sea and ocean floor.

Search attractiveness

Property human nature is that dreams take a long time. Someone even tries to bring them to life. And many people do not want to earn money, but to find a treasure trove. This could not but be reflected in art and culture. Shipwrecks feature in adventure novels and short stories, popular science articles and Internet blogs, educational television programs, and even in games for computers or other digital devices.

Especially modern users are attracted by the opportunity to feel like a treasure hunter, sitting at home in front of the monitor. It is most relevant to look for sunken ships in ArcheAge for those who wake up such qualities as ambition and determination after watching films about the lost treasures of the Spanish squadrons. The game provides all the possibilities for this.

Caribbean

If we talk about American coast, then the story of the sunken ships will begin in 1492. It was the first voyage of Columbus, in which the flagship Santa Maria sank. The ship has never been found, although the approximate location of its wreck is known. A few years later, the same navigator lost in Caribbean two more ships.

Participants find ships for various purposes - these are both merchant and warships. There is a question about identifying the found skeletons, their nationality, historical and archaeological value, as well as finding out the identities of the people who found their death during the crash.

Expeditions organized by the project found ships such as marine armored boats of the times, landing boats, small armored hunting boats.

The sea does not like strangers

Naturally, not only surface ships were used to explore the depths and conduct military operations or reconnaissance operations - submarines of various purposes were built. But the seas and oceans steadfastly guard their secrets, so there are also underwater sunken ships. Only for the period from 1955 to 2014, eight nuclear submarines are known to have been sunk, two of which belonged to Russia. The number of diesel engines is approaching a hundred.

The most famous wrecks and their secrets

by the most famous ship(and perhaps the largest) is the Titanic. And although official version comes down to the fact that the ship collided with an iceberg and sank, not everyone believes it. First of all, because too many ambiguities remained after the investigation of the shipwreck. A peculiar prediction of his death by the author of the novel "Titan" played its role.

If we talk about the largest sunken treasures, then we can name the ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank in the 17th century. The ship carried wealth mined in the New World. At the time of the shipwreck, there were tons of emeralds, gold and silver in the holds. These treasures were necessary for the Spanish monarch not only to replenish the treasury, but also for marriage (his chosen one set the condition - to collect the most beautiful treasures that only exist in the world). And although the crash site was known - reefs off the coast of Florida, they could only find it in the 20th century.

Sunken ships that have not yet been found serve as a kind of bait not only for scientists, but also for fans of quick enrichment. Therefore, perhaps it is for the best that the sea keeps its secrets securely.

In the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Giglio in 2012, on January 13, a terrible tragedy occurred - the catastrophe of a large cruise ship Costa Concordia. At that time there were 4200 people on it.

Ship "Costa Concordia"

The liner was built in the middle of summer 2006. This is one of the largest modern ships of the Costa Cruises company, which ranks first in Europe in terms of passenger (cruise) transportation. 114500 tons - its displacement, passenger capacity - up to 3780 people. The number of cabins on board is 1500.

Vessel dimensions: 290.2 m long, 35.5 m wide. A powerful electric generator is able to provide energy whole city with a population of 50 thousand. There are four swimming pools, 5 restaurants, 5 spas, 13 bars, a disco, a cinema and an Internet cafe on board.

crash

On January 13, a ship from the port of Civitavecchia headed for Savona. It was an ordinary cruise route - "7 Nights of the Winter Mediterranean". This last cruise planned to call at several ports Italian cities and also to Barcelona and Marseille.

At 10 pm in the area of ​​the island of Giglio, when most of the passengers were having dinner at a restaurant, the ship ran into a huge stone reef. He received a large hole (length - 53 m, width up to 7.3 m) and began to sink. Compartments from the third to the eighth were flooded (5 in total). The eighth house was the engine room. In this regard, control over engines and electronic equipment was lost.

The ship ran aground just 150 meters from locality- the village of Giglio Porto. This is how the Costa Concordia sank.

The ship was designed to be unsinkable if only two compartments were damaged. By the morning of January 14, the ship sank and, having touched the bottom, lay on the starboard side.

In total, at the time of the disaster, there were 3,216 passengers (from 62 countries) and 1,023 crew members on the ship. Among them were Russians (108 people) and Ukrainians (45 citizens). None of them were hurt. Only of the three Russians (crew members) after the disaster, two ended up in the hospital. On board were three more citizens from Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Rescue operations, assistance of local residents

According to the testimony of numerous witnesses (there are confirmations on video recordings), the crew of the Costa Concordia ship failed rescue operation. The captain of the Schettino liner himself, instead of giving the necessary distress signal and starting the evacuation, announced to the passengers only 15 minutes after the accident that the ship had only minor problems with the generator (at that time there were indeed problems with energy).

Only when closer to 11 o'clock the ship's list increased greatly (30 degrees), beeps sounded, which meant that the passengers should leave the ship. Of course, panic began, a stampede.

The captain himself (according to the investigation) was one of the first to leave the ship, without even sending any signal about this terrible disaster. Thanks to the actions of the coast guard, which contacted the ship, a rescue operation began late at night.

Passengers who did not have time to get into the boats were lifted from the side rails (they clung to them) by helicopters. Four boats did not have time to launch. There was a very strong roll. Some passengers were able to swim to shore on their own.

Subsequently, during the search for missing people, naval sailors began to punch holes in the walls of the ship with explosions in order to break through to the remaining air bags, which could contain survivors.

Search and rescue operations had to be stopped several times due to adverse weather conditions and ship movements.

At the beginning of February 2012, the search was announced to be stopped, but only in the flooded parts of the ship, due to the great risk to scuba divers. And searches on the seabed (within 18 sq. km), as well as in the remaining not flooded premises of the vessel, continued.

The inhabitants of the island, in turn, helped the victims by placing them in a school, local church and other buildings. Provided them medical care brought food, warm clothes.

Victims, dead and injured

According to daily reports on January 14, it was known about the death of three people.
On January 15, the bodies of two more dead passengers(Italian and Spanish).

By January 16, there were already 6 dead. And 16 people at that time were listed as missing. The next day, the list of missing people grew to 29 people (including 4 crew members). The confusion in the figures of the summary was explained by the fact that most those saved were foreigners who did not speak Italian.

By the end of March 2012, a total of 30 bodies had been found. Two more people were still missing. The remains of the most recent missing person were discovered during search operations only in November 2013.

Invasion of tourists

"Costa Concordia" has increased the flow of tourists to the scene of the tragedy.

More than six months after the disaster tiny island filled with a huge number of tourists. In nearby San Stefano, 15 kilometers from the site of the tragedy, tour operators were doing business selling tickets for 10 euros. Tourists got the opportunity to look at the half-sank liner from a special ferry, which passed just a few meters from the Concordia.

The mayor of the village of Giglio, Sergio Ortelli, noted that in fact there was a significant increase in the number of tourists. They came to see the giant ship that fell on its side and take pictures of it as a keepsake.

Investigative work on the incident, results

The investigation found that the ship approached much closer (10 times) to the shore than it was planned by the route, and at a higher speed.

The entire campaign to eliminate the consequences of the shipwreck lasted more than two years. The damage estimated by the authorities of the island of Giglio amounted to 125-189 million euros.

The main defendant is the captain of the wrecked liner Francesco Schettino. He was found guilty of unintentional murder of people (32 people) and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Shipping experts are perplexed and wonder how such a modern and well-equipped vessel as the Costa Concordia could run aground in such well-studied sea areas.

The experts had two questions. Namely, how it happened that the Costa Concordia deviated from the planned route (by 3-4 nautical miles) and for what reason she capsized so soon.

This ship has been cruising this route 52 times per year.
The main assumptions about the causes of what happened are the human factor and a technical failure or a combination of these two factors.

It is also possible that the ship's crew simply strayed off course. Therefore, the liner "Costa Concordia" was dangerously close to the coast.

There were also versions that there were malfunctions in the ship's navigation equipment.
Power outages could also occur on board.

But the most important thing is that there was a crash in the Mediterranean Sea huge liner"Costa Concordia", learned in the world only a day after the incident. The greatest indignation and bewilderment was caused by the behavior of the captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, and the crew subordinate to him.

According to the testimonies of passengers, some members of the crew did not even let people in at first. lifeboats eventually climbed into them themselves. And the captain escaped from the sinking ship, leaving all the passengers behind.

Costa Concordia now

The operation to raise the ship was carried out in several stages. These works are the most expensive in the history of such operations, their cost is about 250 million euros. For the owners of the vessel, the damage amounted to approximately 1.5 billion euros. In August 2013, a unique operation began. It took less than a day. The ship was safely keeled.

The goal of the whole operation was, first of all, to achieve a minimum roll (zero). This has been successfully achieved. For 600 days on the reefs, the hull of the liner was badly damaged. However, the rise of the Costa Concordia ended successfully.

At the end of July 2014, work began on towing the ship to the port of Genoa. Three days later, the ship was brought to the intended port. Work on dismantling the hull will take almost 2 years.